Now Teoh Beng Hock Who’s next?

JULY 20 — In October 2006, a 28-year-old woman died in gruesome fashion. She was either shot in cold blood, and then had her remains detonated with plastics explosives, or perhaps the Special Action Force policemen found guilty of the Mongolian beauty's murder skipped the shooting part.

But one of the most overlooked tragedies of Altantuya Shariibuu's death was that it shook the nation due to her alleged links with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, instead of the fact that a young woman with her whole life ahead of her was executed by the very men who are charged with keeping the peace in this country.

In October 2006, so intrigued by the possibility of a top-ranking politician being party to a murder, Malaysians did not ask, "Who's next?"

This despite another high-profile death linked to the police force in 2004. On April 16 that year, Francis Udayappan, then 23, went missing from police custody and was fished out of the Klang River a month later, minus his head.

The suspected petty thief's mother was even denied the right to bury her son as police claimed that the body was not Udayappan. Only years later was she allowed to bury whatever remained of her son and even then, with no one ever having to take responsibility for the death.

In April 2004, so intrigued by the possibility of a mother not being able to bury her own son, barely a man when he died, Malaysians did not ask, "Who's next?"

Earlier this year, it was suspected car thief A. Kugan, who died at age 22 in police custody, a case that is still in the midst of investigation to this day.

Again, after a person just out of his teens appeared to be beaten to death by policemen, Malaysians did not ask, "Who's next?"

These are just the highlights of a rather long reel if one includes those above the age of 30.

The death of 30-year-old Teoh Beng Hock is the latest, and perhaps most stunning episode in the series so far. It may be due to the fact that as a political secretary to a Selangor executive councillor, he has an actual political office. Or perhaps that his death was not in fact linked to the police, Malaysia's favourite boo-boys.

Instead, it is the hitherto "toothless" Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), ironically set up by former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as part of a reform package to turn back the tide of negative global perception towards the integrity of Malaysia.

But Teoh's death has further mired the nation in perceived lawlessness.

It is a death easily politicised. But this is not a time for anyone to be scoring points.

The young men and women listed above, and many others, seemed to have died pointlessly. Even freshly-drafted privates gunned down before they fire their first bullets are at least given the dubious honour of being nameless "heroes".

These young departed are not heroes, no matter how many protests and rallies are held in their names. They did not die in the name of any great cause, which perhaps adds to the tragedy.

Those in authority should not now add to the tragedy by thinking in terms of "damage control". The damage has already been done. So now let's fix it.

It is a time for contrition. It is a time to say that enough is enough.

It is a time to finally ask, "Who's next?"

For the sake of Malaysia and young lives not yet lost, let the answer be "No one."